Super Human
by EmbraceYourInnerUnicorn
Summary: Luna has spent eleven years of her life in a glass cage. Why? She has the uncontrollable power of all the Avengers. S.H.I.E.L.D. refuses to release the girl from her constricted life, but Luna escapes anyways. When Luna meets the famous Captain America, everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1/Intro:**

It's a pretty miserable life for a six year old. I mean, living in a glass prison isn't exactly ideal. S.H.I.E.L.D understands that, but there's nothing they can do for her. She's got the power of all the Avengers coursing through her blood, and she's unpredictable. It breaks the heart of one agent in particular to see her imprisoned like that. Poor little Luna, trapped in glass. Natasha visits her every day, and they play games through the glass. She'll ask if Natasha would come inside or if she can come out, and as a SHIELD agent, Natasha has to tell her no. The poor girl has spent years in this prison. Today, she turns seven. It marks two years in a glass container. But today, Natasha won't let her stay like this. Today, Luna goes free.

Today Natasha and Luna played I Spy again. Luna has become an expert at I Spy. Natasha walks in while Luna brushes her dolls hair for the millionth time today.

"Hi Natasha!"

"Hey Luna! Happy birthday!"

_It's my birthday? Wow. That means I'm seven years old. I'm probably almost as old as Natasha! _Luna thinks.

"Does that mean we're almost the same years old?" Luna wonders.

"Not quite. I brought you something." Natasha explains.

She pulls a stuffed cat out from behind her back. It looks so real that Luna thought she had gotten a real cat.

"It's so cute!"

She sets it down by the door of the room and goes over to the control panel that operates the door. She presses a button, and the door to Luna's room opens. Luna runs over to the cat and picks it up. Then she remembers that she hasn't been outside of this room in two years. She leaps dramatically over the line that marks where the door closes.

"I'm out!" Luna squeals.

Natasha smiles. She's really nice in Luna's opinion, even though she looks scary. Natasha is a spy, and an excellent one at that. Luna decides to go out and give her a hug. She can only reach to the woman's waist, but she hugs her anyway. Natasha flinches, but relaxes. The risk of letting a super human loose is beyond extreme.

"Your pants are smooth." Luna observes.

"Really? I thought they were kind of sticky." Natasha smiles sweetly.

Natasha and little Luna laugh, but Natasha can't hide the heart break.

"What's the matter?" Luna asks.

"I want you to live a normal life." Natasha explains.

The word normal isn't easily defined. Normal for Luna is the glass room, visits from Natasha everyday, and watching Nick Fury and the other agents test air samples and gamma radiation meters. Luna contemplates the idea of "normal".

"I have a normal life. Right?" Luna questions, somewhat frantically.

"Well, no. You're not a normal girl. I wish you were, because you could have so much fun." Natasha whispers.

The gravity of this situation is too much for Luna to understand. Natasha has just spoiled the idea that Luna did indeed live a normal life. Luna seems confused, and the thought that there was more to life that glass walls and doll hair boggled her mind.

"Do you have pictures?" Luna wonders.

Natasha's smile indicates a yes, and she pulls out her phone and drops to her knees to become the same height as the seven year old. The phone unlocks and shows a series of colorful trees, and flowers, and animals and other little girls. Luna tells Natasha that she wants to go there, and Natasha has to tell her no.

After that birthday, Luna wasn't the same. She drew flowers on the walls, and grass on the floor, and her dolls hair was dyed using markers. When Natasha would come and visit, all Luna would do was show her the drawings of the world she was forbidden to see. As the years went by, Luna's drawings became elaborate and detailed. Natasha's amazement encouraged Luna's development, and soon, the flowers on her walls looked almost real, and the woman and girl drawn in the grass were exact replicas of Luna and Natasha.

Eventually, Natasha brought along Clint, also known as Hawkeye. The affection that Natasha had for him was undeniable. Luna was now ten, and she thought it was adorable that Natasha, her best and only friend, had a boyfriend. So, while Clint stood next to Natasha, he was added to Luna's wall.

Time flew by for Natasha, but dragged on for Luna. Clint now visited every day, but Natasha sometimes could not find time to see her younger friend. Then came the fateful day when Nick Fury visited. When seventeen year old Luna saw him instead of her friends, she sensed something very wrong.

"I'm Director Nick Fury." He introduces himself.

"I know who you are, dude." Luna tells him rather rudely.

"I'm here to talk to you about your future. I'm sure you've noticed that you aren't the average teenage girl." He says.

Luna ponders this assessment. She has muscles, rather large ones, and she's never worked out a day in her life. She's smart, she's a brilliant artist, she has one heck of a temper, and that's only the things she's noticed.

"Alright what did you do to me?" Luna growls.

"When you were five, we injected you with the powers of a handful of extremely powerful people. You have the brain power of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, the body structure of Captain America, the stealth and agility of Natasha Romanoff, and if Clint has anything special besides archery, you have that too. Basically, your DNA has been rewritten. Whoever your parents were, their genes have been practically erased from you. You have their looks, but everything else we edited." Fury rambled.

"So I'm your guinea pig? You rewrote my genetic code, which should be impossible, and kept me in a cage because you were scared of your own creation. That's low." Luna bashes.

"We gave you something amazing. You were made to fight the evil of this world, and others if needed."

_I'm not exactly good with following orders my friend. _Luna thinks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

This whole situation is terrible. I can't believe that SHIELD has the nerve to actually rewrite my DNA. I could've been a super gorgeous genius boy for all I know! It should be illegal. It's safe to assume I was adopted, and I definitely don't see SHIELD as my family. The only bright side is Clint and Natasha. And right now, Natasha is my only hope. I don't want to stay here and "fight the evil of this world"! I want a normal life, with friends my age, and a blue streak in my hair and jeans and shirts with jokes on them!

"Hey Luna. How's it going?" Natasha says as she strolls in.

"Awful, you?" I reply sarcastically.

"I'm good. What's so awful?" she asks.

I consider not telling her, but of course I do. She's my best friend.

"I just found out that my genetic code is not my own and I'm the DNA of superheroes and you. So I guess I'm related to you somehow. "I laugh.

"I'm sorry you didn't know. I wish I could've told you." She frowns.

I'm not mad at her because she couldn't tell me. I understand its fine. But something deep down tells me that it really isn't fine.

"Yeah me too. Since you kept a secret from me for let's see, eleven years, can you do me a favor?"

"It depends. What do you need?"

"I need some new paint, markers, pencils, paper and freedom. Mostly freedom."

"I wish, Luna. I really do. If there was some way I could spring you, I would."

As I'm about to say "I know", Clint jogs in and hugs Natasha from behind.

"Hey Luna." He says.

"Hey." I reply.

I pick up a crayon off the floor and walk over to a wall that isn't visible from any area of the cage. No one's seen it but me. I etch a tally into the wall. There's about 6,209 tally marks on this wall, one for each day I've been here. (Pretty much) The array of colors and marks is rather astonishing.

"Your girlfriend won't let me out." I tell Clint, joking of course.

"Well, my girlfriend isn't allowed to." He winks.

We all laugh about it, but it's really not funny. I pick up a folder with my drawings in it. It's my most recent, I have several. I've been here for eleven years; you'd imagine I have lots of drawings. I pull out the newest drawings, two identical pictures of Clint and Natasha kissing. I showed it to them through the glass, and they laughed. I set it by the door, and Tasha (AKA Natasha if you didn't get that) opens the door just enough for me to slide them through.

"Very nice, Luna." Tasha laughs.

Clint probably would've jokingly shoved me if I were out with them. It's kind of weird, I've never actually touched them, except for that one time I hugged Tasha when I was seven.

"So I need pencils and markers and stuff? And I'm starving." I say.

"Jeez Luna. Patience, the food is coming. Same with the art stuff." Tasha tells me.

"Sorry, I just get really, bored, there's not much I get to do." I explain.

Clint laughs, but Natasha doesn't find it funny. Just as she's about to say something, Fury comes in with food and art supplies. I pretend to gag myself, but Tasha signals me to knock it off. I mouth sorry to her, and she nods.

"Here's your stuff Luna." Fury says, setting the stuff down and then leaving.

"About time." I tease them.

They both laugh this time. I guess it's not that bad here as long as they're both with me. They're awesome; I wonder how I would've managed without them. Tasha opens the door a bit wider than before, and slides the stuff under. Before she can close it I slide under and out. Clint and Tasha look terrified.

"Why are you scared!? You both know I would never hurt you." I promise, but they nod behind me. I'm scared too now. I whip around, and see a large line of agents with guns and tazers.

"Oh. I see."

A smile drips over my lips. In a flash, I sit peacefully down in front of them. They seem shocked, but on guard. I give them an adorable look and they seem to melt. I stand back up and stroll right out the door. No one even moves the strangeness of the moment lingering as I dash right out of SHIELD. Since I have no clue where to go, I just keep running. I just keep running until everything I've ever known was out of sight. I lost my breath a while back, so I walk now. It takes ages in my mind, but eventually I reach a town. There's an occasional passerby, but I don't see anyone who might help me.

After sitting on the corner for fifteen minutes, I get bored and start searching for somewhere to stay. Soon it's dark, and the lack of lights in the town doesn't help my search. As if that wasn't enough, it started to rain too. I was wet and cold and I could barely see. The same pair of black jeans I've had since I was fifteen hug my legs. They don't do much to keep me warm, because they hold rips and frays caused by sharp pencils and such. I resort to the most desperate and luck orientated measure. I stroll up to the first house I see and knock on the door.

**STEVE'S POV:**

I'm in the middle of not sleeping when I hear someone knock on my door. Just to be polite, I pull a thin white shirt over my head. I jog upstairs and answer the door. A young girl stands patiently at the door. She's soaked and shivering, and she looks desperate.

"I'm sorry to bother you, it's just that I'm wet and really cold and I have nowhere to stay." She explains.

"You don't have a house?"

"I kind of might have just escaped from SHIELD, so yeah, I don't have a house. I promise I'm not a villain though."

"You're a SHIELD victim?" she nods. "Come in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

I'm not sure who this man is, but he said I was a SHIELD 'victim' which is exactly it, and I can't help but wonder if he's been tangled in SHIELD's web before.

"I'm Luna." I say shyly.

"I'm Steve. I'm sure you've heard of me. Captain America? That's me."

As he introduces himself, I feel a strange attraction to him. I wonder if because I have his genes means were related, therefore meaning I can't date him. I'm not going to lie, he's seriously handsome, and considering the only men I've ever seen are Clint and Fury, he's double attractive to me.

"Oh wow. You know, I have your DNA." I say.

"What?!"

"SHIELD rewrote my genetic code with the DNA of the Avengers. I've spent eleven years in a cage because I'm supposedly dangerous. I'm not though." I explain.

"That's, uh, interesting. Does that mean we're related?"

He's thinking the same thing I am isn't he.

"No. I don't think so. No, because I wasn't born with your DNA, I was injected with it against my will." I laugh.

He doesn't find it funny, so I kind of blush and awkwardly stand there.

"So, I have a spare bedroom with a bed, it's kind of small but I'm sure you don't mind. If you do there's a couch. As soon as you find a place you can leave, but since you've been victimized by SHIELD, consider here a safe haven."

"Okay. Thanks." I respond.

The whole situation is kind of odd, but I don't really care. At least I got lucky with the house I chose. As I'm about to ask Steve about the TV, he trots downstairs. Curiosity drags me silently down the stairs. Steve is beating on a punching bag, and it flies across the room. The process repeats until his shirt is drenched with sweat, and he peels it off. My breath catches in my throat. Wow, he's got nice abs. I'm tempted to smack myself for thinking that, but it would make too much noise, and I'm currently enjoying watching him.

He lets out an angry yell, and the bag flies across the room. This time, he retrieves it and rehangs it, but heads toward the stairs instead of attacking it. I scoot up the staircase a little, and pretend to be asleep, which is a skill I've managed to master, thanks to days when I didn't want to be bothered by SHIELD agents. His feet pound up the steps until he sees me.

**STEVE'S POV:**

The girl is asleep on the stairs. She probably was going to ask me something and fatigue got the best of her. Or she was watching me, which is understandable, I mean, what kind of girl doesn't want to investigate the strange man who just let them into his house. I scoop her up and bring her to the couch. Her heart beats hard against me, and I wonder if she's dreaming. I would be lying if I said I wasn't somehow attracted to her, despite just meeting her.

Once I set her down, her body sort of twitches and she shoots up.

"Oh. It's you. Gosh that was scary."

She was dreaming indeed. Probably about the hell she lived in for eleven years. That must've been awful.

"Dreaming about SHIELD?" I prod.

She nods and gives me a 'how did you know?' look. I tell her I have problems with nightmares too, and she smile/frowns. I don't quite understand what that expression is supposed to say, but I mimic it back, because she obviously knows what she was trying to say.

"Well, thanks for letting me stay here. I'll be out of your hair, ASAP." She promises.

Secretly I hope she'll be here for a while. Not that I would date her, but she's kind of fun to look at, if you know what I mean. I get up and walk to my room, and she cozies up on the couch. Who knows what might happen to her, but for now, she's safe. If I have any say in her future, nothing will happen to her.

**LUNA'S POV:**

He's odd, in a good way. I probably seem like a freak to him, most likely because I am a freak, and I know only what Natasha and Clint have told and shown me. There are so many things I don't know about, but I guess I have the basics. I know what abs are so I can't be that bad.

I'm curled up on his couch and after a while of planning my tomorrow, I drift off into sweet sleep, the first time in eleven years that I wasn't asleep in a cage. My dreams danced whimsically around my head, running from my "home", seeing the world, and then utter chaos. My dream faded to a nightmare in minutes, going from freedom to war, people screaming my name and being back in my cage. Natasha and Clint were there, they tried to help me. I wake up with a screech when I see them dead at my imaginary feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

I'm sitting on Steve's couch, back stiffer than wood, and my eyes as wide as Steve's when he comes running up out to investigate my scream. I'm shaking violently, and I've never been so scared and sad in my life.

"Hey, Luna, are you alright?" Steve asks, placing his hand on my arm.

My speechlessness continued, and my body only got stiffer with his touch. He looks me straight in the face and talks to me like I'm dead or something.

"Luna, I need you to talk. You need to loosen up, just go back to sleep. It's alright, its okay, go to sleep." He coos.

He swings my legs up and over the end of the couch, so he can sit beside me. His hand is on my shoulder, and his eyes burn into me, full of concern. For lack of words, he looks worried. I'm still frigid, but now I'm trying to loosen up and shake it off. His touch seems to melt my nerves, and I can move again.

"I'm good. Sorry I woke you up." I explain.

"I wasn't sleeping. I usually don't." he replies.

"Oh. Care to watch some late night infomercials?" I giggle.

"Why of course, ma'am." He teases back.

Steve doesn't strike me as the joking type, so the response shocked me in a good way. He fishes through the couch cushions for the remote. When he finds it, he switches on the TV, and finds something at least slightly entertaining to watch. He settles on some TV show rerun, and I assume the show is off the air now. The main character cracks a joke, and I laugh. Steve isn't watching the show, he's watching me. Not that I hope he's watching me, but it was nice.

Now, I may seem weird about the whole guy thing, but in my defense, I've never had a guy like me, and the only guys I know are Fury and Clint. So, it's absolutely marvelous to have a guy be attractive, and look at me like I am too.

A song that Clint had played me once ran through my head. It was about a boy who saw this girl and then fell in love instantly. I wonder if that actually happens in real life, or if people just sing about things they wish would happen. Maybe Steve could tell me things about the current world.

"Hey, are you up to date on the current fashions, music, tech, etc.?" I ask.

"I'm from the 1930s Luna. Do you think I know?" he says sarcastically.

I blush and shake my head. I don't know how to approach him. He's fun, yet serious; he's cool, yet fierce. HELP!?

**STEVE'S POV:**

I think we're both stuck in the same situation. I'm a man out of my own time, and she's a girl who's never been part of hers. We're both clueless, we're both lost, and we're both lonely, I can tell.

"What are you going to do?" I wonder aloud.

"I have no clue. Hopefully, I'll get a job, and maybe an apartment, I don't really know though, because SHIELD is probably looking for me. I'm not even sure how I'm going to get clothes without being recaptured." She says, looking hopeless.

"I can help you. Don't feel like you need to leave right away. I get lonely here all alone."

She smiles. For a prisoner of sorts, she has straight teeth that sparkle in a whole other shade of white. Her lips are delicately pink, like she's never worn lipstick. They look so soft, and I'm tempted to run my thumb across them, but think better of it. We just met after all, and I barely even know her name.

"How old are you?" I pester.

"I'm seventeen." She answers. "Eighteen in January. What about you?"

"Well, if you don't count my years in the ice, I'm 27." I reply.

Her eyes dance around the room, exploring every inch of me and my home without even turning her head. The smoky blue orbs tease me with fluttering eyelashes and glances at my lips. She wants me to kiss her, she does I just know it. It drives me crazy. I'm 10 years older than her. But does it really matter? Age is only a number after all. As long as she's not three and I'm not fifty, it doesn't seem like a crime. It sure doesn't feel like a crime. My heart hasn't beat like this since Peggy. The thought of her draws a close to my "feelings" for Luna.

"So, you live alone?"

I nod. I don't really know who I might live with, I don't have many friends that are, well, alive. I explain the concept to her, and she apologizes as if it was her fault, and I say it's fine as if I agree. The whole process of 'I'm sorry' and 'it's okay' is quite the cliché. Like, 'Oh I'm sorry your dog died' as if there was something you did to cause the animal to, you know, die.

**LUNA'S POV:**

While I'm investigating the house from my cozy warm spot on the couch, I catch sight of a clock. It shows the time. 2:00 AM. We must be nuts. As tired as I am, I hope we don't fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**STEVE'S POV:**

I wake up with Luna curled up beside me. My arms are lazily draped around her, and I scold myself silently for this. I slip away from her, but she wakes up. She examines the situation, and pretends to be asleep again to avoid awkwardness.

"I know you're awake."

She blushes.

"I'm totally sleeping." She giggles.

"Liar." I tease.

She sits up.

"So, are you going to find a job today?" I ask.

Somewhere in my gut tells me to ask her to stay today, to prevent the lonely fights he always wins with his numerous punching bags. But before he could, she nods, and stands up. Her hands dust of the dust that she imagined I guess, because she looked clean to me.

"Uh, can I use the shower?"

"Oh, yeah. It's over here."

I show her to my bathroom and open the shower door. After I instructed her on the concept of turning the water on, off, and changing its temperature, I leave. As I walk into my bedroom, I realize that she only has one pair of clothes. I dig through my closet searching for something she might wear, but find nothing, since I'm probably five sizes above her.

Since the town is within walking distance, I jog to the nearest boutique and find something that's one size fits all, and somewhat adorable. I picture Luna twirling in it and my heart does a little flip. But then I picture Peggy in it and I put it back. I grab another one and bring it to the desk.

"That'll be ten dollars." The lady says in a monotone voice that would drive anyone nuts. I hand her the bill and leave the store.

When I come back, Luna is standing in the doorway of the bathroom wrapped up in her towel, a rosy red climbing her cheeks. Her clothes are wet on the floor, and she tells me what happened.

"I was trying to grab them and they kind of fell. Into the toilet." She blushes hard, her face red as a tomato.

"Lucky you, I went and got you something new." I laugh, holding the dress up for her. She squeals, and takes it from me with one hand. She thanks me, and then she shuts the bathroom door.

**LUNA'S POV:**

I twirl in the white dress that drapes to my ankles. It has no straps, but it's tight enough to stay up. I walk out and Steve's mouth drops. His eyes investigate the dress, and I twirl, just to drive him mad. His smile is goofy, and I grin back as I tiptoe back out into the living room.

"So, I have no clue where to go job wise." I state blankly, hoping he does.

"You can try the shop where I bought this. It's right down the street. Uh, One of a Kind, I think it's called that." He stumbles through the sentence, unsure of a reply.

"Sweet. I'll check that out." I say hopeful.

I slip on the flip-flops that I've had since I was fifteen, and head for the door. Just as I'm about to leave, Steve grabs me. I turn, and he kisses me quickly, and then walks away. I dash out the door, then squeal with a renewed energy. My first kiss! I dance down the road, skipping and hopping until I reach the door of the shop.

"Hi, I was wondering if you might be looking for new employees." I say sweetly.

The girl behind the counter nods towards the sign in the window.

HELP WANTED

I blush.

"Oh. Okay, well let me rephrase that. I was wondering if I could get an interview." I laugh.

"No need. Do you have any criminal records?"

I shake my head.

"You're hired. Basically, when a customer comes in, say hello, and when they try something on say they look great, and when they buy it, take their money and bag the thing. That's really it. I work the back usually, but since we fired Kira, I've been up here. All you have to do is be nice and pretty, and convince people to buy."

"Okay. I'm Luna by the way. I thought it would be harder to get a job. Guess not!" I giggle.

She introduces herself as Jaden, and tells me that her dad runs the shop, and it's really laid back and quiet, and no one here is professional enough to actually interview. This little town is adorable. Jaden goes through a door that leads to the back I'm assuming, so I sit on the stool behind the counter and fiddle with things. I teach myself to use the cash register, and give myself correct change with the money that's in it.

_Rinnnngg! _The door opens, and the little bells screech. A tall and thin lady walks in. Jaden stands in the door that she had went in earlier.

"Hi! Welcome to One of a Kind." I say kindly.

The lady nods and I smile. She shops about, and I talk with Jaden. This is so much easier than I thought. Now the only thing to think about it Steve, and how to handle the kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

Jaden invited me to a party she's having at her place tonight, and the concept of someone having a party and bringing me after knowing me for roughly four hours is foreign. People in this town don't even think they just do. It's weird, but I like it. So, I had shopped through the store and found another dress, then changed into it at the store.

"Thumbs up Luna. Ready to go?" Jaden compliments me.

"Yeah!"

Steve doesn't cross my mind until I'm on the back of a motorcycle, clutching onto Jaden for dear life. We zip past his house, and in the scuffle of holding on and holding my dress down, I still manage to wave at Steve through the window. The luck that I had was astonishing, because Steve was in the window at that time and waved back as if to acknowledge I might not be home for a while.

"So this is my pad. Welcome to the Jaden Cave!" she introduces me to the house.

I smile; the place is small, but big enough for the party. I check the clock on her wall. It's 4, and the party starts at five. I guess that well just chill for an hour, and I was correct. I sat on her bed as she changed into her dress, a small leopard print, strapless and form fitting. The dress was cute, but I'd never be caught dead in a dress that barely covered my butt. The dress I'd chosen at the shop was turquoise and stopped a few inches up my knee. It was short enough to be flirty, but long enough to cover everything. It had straps, little strips that held the dress in place but didn't cover anything or keep me warm.

"So Luna, you look darling in that, but if you just-" she starts, and then wraps a belt around my waist, straps heels to my feet, and practically paints my face by numbers.

"Wow! You look flawless!" she squeals.

As I examine myself in her mirror, I have to agree. Any blemishes or anything that had been on my face are covered, and the dress looks cuter with the belt. I feel taller and hotter with the bright blue heels, and for once in my life, I felt flirty and well, like a girl. While Jaden fussed with herself, I perched in her windowsill watching birds fly by and sing songs about happiness.

"Jade open up!" a male voice yells from downstairs.

"Jade" squeals and dashes down to the door, which astonishes me because I could barely step down the stairs in these heels, but she just ran. She opens the door and pulls the tall red haired boy inside. She plants a kiss on his lips and turns to introduce me.

"James, this is Luna. Luna, James. He's my boyfriend, she's my new coworker."

I nod a small hello to James, and he smiles at me. The introduction wasn't perfect, but it got to the point. Soon after James had come, so did the rest of the guests. Girls in tiny dresses filed in, followed by boys in tight and ripped jeans. One boy in particular catches my eye. He has black hair styled into a quiff. His eyes are intensely green, and his jeans are shredded, but still look amazing. I start to go talk to him, but I'm pulled away by Jaden. She introduces me to some other girls from this town, and I say hi. We make small talk about our dresses and boys and makeup, but soon they're engulfed in a conversation about people I don't know, so I excuse myself.

As I spin around, I bump into James.

"Sorry!"

"Oh no it's fine. Hey this is my friend Calum." I smile at the black haired boy I'd seen earlier.

"Hi." He says shyly.

James laughs and then walks away, leaving me and Calum to stand awkwardly together.

"I'm Luna." I say, breaking the silence.

"That's a cool name. Do you know what it means?" he asks.

"I think it means moon."

He nods and grins slightly.

"What does your name mean?" I ask.

"Dove. It's slightly girlish, but I think it's cool."

"Me too."

"So, moon and dove. New nicknames I suspect." Calum laughs.

"Whatever you say, Dove." I tease back.

"Okay, Moon. Which house is yours?"

"I don't have one yet, I'm living with Steve."

"Oh Captain? Shucks." He says glumly.

"What's wrong with Steve?" I question.

"I can't compete with him. He'll get the girl for sure."

My cheeks turn a whole new red. I look down at my feet, and a smile creeps onto my lips.

"Wanna bet?" I mutter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**STEVE'S POV:**

I hear booming music from down the road, and I instantly think of the girl supposedly coming home tonight. The thought of a drunken Luna stumbling through my house wasn't necessarily the thought I'd like to have of her. I slipped into jeans and a white t-shirt and jogged down to where the lights shone bright and the music was the loudest. The side gate was propped open, and I could see young kids kissing in dark corners of the yard.

"This should be fun." I whisper to no one in particular, and then step inside cautiously.

The first person I see is Jaden, dancing with James, the ever popular boyfriend. The town was small, and all the members know of Jaden's dating life, because she tells them all when they shop at One of a Kind. For a second, I think that there wouldn't be drinking, then I saw the kegs. _Great._ I scan the yard for familiar faces, and it takes me a second to recognize Luna, made to look like a model. Her blue dress was most likely chosen by Luna herself, but the outrageous neon heels were the work of Jaden. Luna looked downright beautiful, and everyone else seemed to think so too.

A black haired boy has her in his arms, and they're dancing like they're both twenty and have known each other forever. My fists clench in anger, a fatherly instinct kicking in despite the fact that she's not my daughter, and I barely know her. I slip into the chaos and find Jaden.

"Jaden, how many drinks has Luna had?"

"That's none of your business, Steve." She giggles, drunk and stupid.

"Helpful. I'm taking her home now."

"Oh but her and Calum are hitting it off! Don't interrupt, the poor girl has NO social life, Steve. Let her have this." I consider, but I can't take Jaden seriously as she fumbles over me, trying to stand up.

I walk towards the "lovebirds". Luna doesn't notice me until I pull her away from the boy. She screeches for me to stop, and squeals for Calum to get her from the monster. I can smell the alcohol on her breath, on her dress, and in her hair, leading me to wonder what she's been up to. The Calum guy jumps at me, and I grab his arm and push him to the ground as gently as I can, then make a break for it, dragging Luna behind me.

"Steve! I can't run! Let go!" she screams.

I feel her arms ripple in my hold, and she seems furious. For the first time, I notice how muscled she is. Her fist swings at me and knocks the wind out of me. I hunch over, gasping for breath as she stomps away. I can't let her go poison herself more, so I stick my foot on one of the heels and she face plants into the grass.

I lift her up and carry her home, apologizing the whole way and wiping the tears off of her face. She's kicking and screaming, but I get her back to the house and inside. Once inside, she springs out of my arms and lands in a heap on the hardwood floor. She's crying, and she looks so miserable that I can't look at her. I leave her there, lock the door and go downstairs.

"I hate you." She yells.

The words ring through my ears and pierce in a way they shouldn't. It's not possible to love someone after knowing them for a day and a night, but I at least wanted her to like me, considering she was living here. I thought she has been drunk, but obviously she was somewhat sober because she hitched herself up, straightened her dress, brushed the grass from everywhere, and fixed herself. Then she just marched out the door, and I didn't expect her to come back.

**LUNA'S POV:**

I can't believe Steve. He's not my father, or my boyfriend, what's his right to do what he did to me!? When I run in through the gate, Calum was standing alone in a corner of the yard where nobody danced or drank, or even stood for that matter. I smiled and dashed over to him, finally finding my confidence in these heels.

"Quite the exit Moon." Calum barks sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, he's quite awful. He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, what about you?" He asked, even though the scuffs on my hands and knees were very visible.

"Nah. So where were we?" I smile.

Calum says nothing, but places his hands on my hips and guides them closer to his. Our bodies were close enough that I could feel his warmth radiating through me. When I was back at S.H.I.E.L.D., I promised Natasha that I'd never kiss a boy I didn't know or care about. I was eleven then, and now I'm seventeen, and free. The chances of me even seeing Natasha anytime soon was low, and so I didn't heed her advice. Calum kisses me gently, my hands finding a comfortable position around his neck.

"I told you he doesn't always get the girl." I say.

Calum's smile releases butterflies deep inside me, and I feel like squealing and dancing and twirling, but I don't. I have new friends, a possible boyfriend, and a job. Life back in prison seemed ages ago and far off, so when I saw none other than Natasha Romanoff standing by the gate, my heart lurched.

"Calum you see that girl? You can't let her see me." I whisper worriedly.

Calum doesn't ask, he just pulls me away. We weave through the crowd, eventually finding our way inside the house. We sit on the couch, watching Natasha look for me. I guess Calum felt my heart beat somehow, because he told me everything would be fine. And for some reason, I believed him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

**NATASHA'S POV:**

The people I had previously talked to had been know help in my search for Luna. Drunken and loopy, they muttered things about not knowing who Luna was, and after a while I developed a deep thirst, and not for alcohol. I step inside to find water, and catch sight of a girl and boy fleeing the scene. I can't see a face, but I'd recognize the dark brown hair anywhere.

"Luna!" I scream, chasing after the two.

My hand fists a lock of her hair, and her wail of pain startles me. She turns, her features lit up by fear and adrenaline. Her eyes seemed dark and lost in the haze of the alcohol on her breath. The boy still clutches her hand, but they're both paralyzed by fear.

"Luna, you're in a boatload of trouble." I hiss.

**LUNA'S POV:**

Calum grips my hand tighter. Tasha snatches me away, and a tear rolls down my cheek. I mouth 'save me' to Calum as Natasha drags me out the door and into her car. Once I get in I roll down the window. A bright idea breaks the silence in my head. I wait for the moment that we cruise past Steve's house. I have one second to get him to come for me, and I use it accordingly. On the tip top of my lungs, I scream his name in a tone that could break glass. Natasha freaks out and brakes sharply.

"Luna, stop! You're coming back with me and I won't let you escape again. Just, please don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"I will never stop fighting. No one not even me, deserves this." I wail.

And then it hits me. I'm superhuman. I work up anger until it boils in my blood, and I scream. My hands get bigger, and my body grows until I'm the spitting image of everyone's favorite Hulk. Honestly, I'm equally scared as Natasha, but I'm in less danger than her. I yell again, and pick up Tasha's car (with Tasha inside) then walk off. I take her to the edge of town, and put her down.

"Don't EVER come back!" I scream, morphing back into me at the most inopportune time.

"I'm not scared of you. Luna, we're friends! Why don't you make this easy for the both of us?"

"If you were my friend you wouldn't make me go back."

Natasha's heart shatters in front of me. I can see the betrayal in her eyes, and they start to glimmer. She calls S.H.I.E.L.D. on the spot.

"It's Natasha. I need your help. We need to get Luna settled." A pause. "Yes that means bring money. Hurry."

A smile creeps onto her lips and I hug her. I whisper thanks into her ear, and she says that I'll owe her one. I was completely okay with that. Just as I was about to ask about my "powers" when a silver car zips around the corner. Clint jumps out and stands at Natasha's side.

"What happened!?" he exclaims, gesturing towards the car.

"Uh, I figured out how to Hulk-out." I blushed.

"Oh, I see. Well, I have emergency funds. Let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven, seven hundred dollars… that can't be right."

"No kidding! That's a lot." I point out.

"No it's right. She should be able to pay rent in an apartment for like, a month with that. So I suggest you stay wherever you've been staying, and then get on your own feet, and use that cash to pay for your first month okay? And for the sake of my sanity, please get a phone! We need to stay in touch somehow." Natasha smiles.

I hug her again and thank her and Clint.

"You guys are the greatest. Stay safe, stay employed, and don't do anything I wouldn't do! Bye-ah love birds!" I giggle as I walk down the street.

My mood has left earth and is now about 236.8% higher than it was. I can't fight the urge to skip, so I unstrap my heels, and skip down the street barefoot singing happy songs and giggling and twirling the dress. My laughter must've been louder than I thought, because Steve was sitting on his porch watching me when I dance past. Then I noticed I had completely bypassed him and backtracked until I was directly in front of him. I dashed over and sat beside him.

"So, how was the party?" he asked.

"Ah, it was okay. I got to see Tasha and Clint and now I need to get on my own feet, metaphorically of course, because despite my heels I am very capable of standing." I ramble excitedly.

We go back and forth, talking about random and stupid stuff, and honestly, compared to hanging out with Steve, Calum was nothing. With Calum, it was lovey dovey and pretty forced, considering we'd just met and I kissed him and stuff, but with Steve it's just chilling with a cool friend, and maybe there's something, maybe there's nothing, but that's the last thing on your mind.

"Well, do you mind if I stay a little longer?" I question, hopeful and nervous.

"Of course. But you don't really hate me right?"

"Of course not. You're actually quite great." I laugh.

I playfully shove him, and then he does it back, and we go on like best friends from seventh grade. He slings his arm over my shoulder, and I rest my head on his, and we just sit there, but all in a friendly way, right?

"I'm so glad I found you." He says.

"Funny, I was going to say exactly that." I say, and then we go inside.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

We sat on the couch side by side talking and laughing and throwing Steve's TV remote across the room for the pure joy of it. Eventually Steve fell asleep, so I sat and tried to braid his hair. Soon after I managed a little braid, he woke up with a startled yell.

"Steve?"

"Oh, Luna. Sorry, I'm okay." He mumbled.

"What happens? Like, in your dreams?"

I don't know if it was too personal, but the look he gave me said it wasn't. He explains to me the graphic war scenes that repeat themselves in his dreams, and I rub circles on his hand with my thumb. He goes on telling me about his days in WW2 and when he first became the Captain and then this girl named Peggy, whom he had left in the days of war when he had crashed into the ice. The stories dripped from his lips as if they were yesterday, the bombs, the shooting, the blood and gore. It made me want to cry, and when I did, Steve changed the subject.

"So what's in your dreams?" he asks.

**STEVE'S POV:**

After stories of war and strife and Peggy, her stories were like kittens and flowers. She told me about being a little girl in a cage, doodling her best friend Natasha pictures of flowers. I could almost picture little Luna drawing sickly scribbles and insisting they were flowers. After that, she told me how her Natasha and Clint were really close, and how in her dreams they usually died due to a malfunction in her code.

"Your code?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'm an experiment. My DNA was rewritten and replace with that of the Avengers. I didn't believe it at first, because honestly that's seriously impossible, but then I hulked out in the middle of the road and carried Natasha to the edge of town."

I feel a tinge of hate towards S.H.I.E.L.D. for taking my DNA and putting it into this girl, but thankfulness wins me over. If she weren't part of S.H.I.E.L.D. I would have never met her. Then it hits me hard in the face.

"You have my DNA?"

She nods.

"Could that mean you got your nightmares from me?"

She doesn't move this time.

"Even if it is, I don't blame you." She promises.

And then we both just fall asleep, or at least that's all I remember.

*THE NEXT MORNING*

Luna was laid on the couch, her head tilted and resting on the arm rest. Her hair fanned out around her head, and her eyelids fluttered. I sat on the floor beneath her and let myself think. If I asked her on a date, what are the odds that she would say yes? I've known her for two days now, or maybe three. Was that enough time? I decide to wait until it's been a week, and I prayed that she would still be here then. I stand up and go into the kitchen and pop some bread into the toaster.

POP! The toast is perfectly crispy, and I smother it in butter and put it on a plate.

"Hey, Luna. Wake up darling." I say shaking her lightly.

She moans and wraps her arms around my neck. I pull up and she's pulled along until she's sitting up. I put the toast in her lap and she smiles.

"You're so sweet." She kisses my cheek.

It was friendly of course, everything we did was. Part of me wished it wasn't though. Part of me wanted her too much. But part of me is smart, and part of me won't let me.

"Thanks." I laugh.

"I can't believe I slept in this dress. It's crazy uncomfortable with the belt." She sighs, unbuckling the belt and setting it on the couch.

She takes a small bite of toast as if she was testing to see if I messed it up. How do you mess up toast?!

"Ew, Steve this is nasty." I'm about to ask, but then she smiles the goofiest smile to say 'just kidding' and I laugh.

She finishes up, and then changes into the white dress I had bought her yesterday. I have the sudden urge to go downstairs and attack the numerous punching bags that I have leant against the wall, but I think better of it.

"Would you like to come beat the crap out of some punching bags?" I ask.

"Uh, sure?"

I take her hand and lead her downstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

Steve drags me downstairs and I stumble after. He had been down here when I had first met him, and I had watched him spar with his inanimate partner. Now it was my turn I suppose. I sit down on a bench against the wall as Steve picks a pair of gloves for me. He kneels next to me and shows me how to put them on, which is good because I was actually clueless. Then he walked me over and showed me how to punch right. This, I had a vague awareness of how to do, but not as much as he did. After my tutorial on punching correctly, he left to go get some water and I banged on the bag repetitively until he came back.

Once I hear him coming down the stairs, I hide against the wall. Then, as he enters the room I jump at him screeching. You see, I thought I would scare him, but nope. He catches me in midair, laughing.

"You were trying to scare me!" he exclaims.

"Maybe I was!" I giggle.

And we break out in a "tickle war" and I'm squealing and laughing until I can't breathe. We end up on the floor laughing and rolling around and I'm feeling like I'm at a disadvantage considering I can't tickle in these gloves. I try to shove him off with them, but he's so much stronger than I am. My mind wanders into ways to evade him.

"Get off!" I squeak.

"I'm not on you!" he replies.

"Well, then, stop!" I say, not sure of what to reply with.

And he stops. Just like that he stops and is sitting in a bundle in front of me.

"Oh so I could've done that earlier and avoided the tickling?!" I laugh.

His smile is contagious and we both just sit there, smiling from ear to ear.

**STEVE'S POV:**

Luna and I are smiling wide and sitting like little kids in kindergarten. My heart is jumping rope with its own strings, and I feel them tugging towards Luna. I've been in love with Peggy for so long, is it possible she's become a fixed automatic in my heart? What if I don't even love her now, but I'm using her to shield me from the possibilities in front of me. I find myself wanting Luna more by the second, but I sit there dumbly grinning and staying stock still.

"You're cute." She says giggling.

"Oh I know." I wink.

Rosy red crawls into her cheeks. She looks so innocent, crisscross-applesauce and blushing, and it makes me want her more. Have you ever wrapped yourself in magnets and then sat beside something magnetic? No, because that would be really strange, but you get my metaphor. She's drawing me in and I can't stop.

"You're really fun." She continues. "And sweet, and strong and muscly." She laughs.

Her laugh is one of those that you would be able to hear in a crowd of thousands. Honestly, I think I've fallen in love with a girl I've known for like, two days, and she's so much younger than me. And then as if she's reading my mind, she says:

"You know how weird it is that people judge by age? Like, what if an eighteen year old had the mental power of a thirty year old? But people still treat her like a little girl because of her age. It's just a number, you know? Why should it tell us who to love and not love, and who to be friends with and not friends with, or hire or not hire?" she makes an excellent point.

"Well, that's a very beautiful perspective for a very beautiful girl." I laugh, trying to cover the obvious pleasure I found in her speech.

"So, can we be ageless? Or like, you know, not of age or whatever?" she stutters.

Then I think about the situation. I met this girl two days ago, not even. How can you love someone you've known for so little time? I fight against myself yet again, until all feelings of love and like are gone, and Luna is just a brand new friend again.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay. Just checking."

"Checking what?" I ask.

"You were kind of dazed out."

"Sorry."

I guess I was thinking really hard. I laugh and shove her over and stand up.

"Hey!" she squeals.

"Hey is for HORSES! Straw is cheaper." I laugh.

"What?!"

"It's a saying!"

"Well then STRAW!" she giggles.

We laugh again, and her eyes sparkle in a different blue than the first time I'd seen her. A happier, brighter blue. A free blue and a blue that I hope I'd inflicted, because it was the most amazing heartwarming BLUE you'd ever see. All in the color of her eyes. And then I'm fighting inside again, and hoping that she'll win this time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

Steve was out running errands, and he was my signal to close up One of a Kind. He jogged through the door at 8:00 pm sharp. Not a second late. I laughed as he set all his groceries and things on the floor and jumped up onto the counter in the flirtiest way possible. I bat my eyelashes and he delivered a cheesy pick up line that made me laugh again.

"Come here often?"

"Oh yeah. All the time." I giggle in response.

"Mentally noted." And then he bats HIS eyelashes at ME.

Soon our laughter got out of hand and Jade had to shut us up. But we didn't shut up, we just left. My shift was over, and I was free for the weekend. Happy Friday I thought to myself. My mind surfs over the possibilities of things to do this weekend. I remember my drawings of flowers, and silently hoped that Steve had drawing supplies. We walked back to his house at the same obnoxious noise level, fake flirting and chatting about work. When we finally got home, Steve said nothing as he put away the groceries.

"Do you have any art supplies?" I ask.

"Pencils and paper." He replies.

Boring, but it works. He retrieved the stuff as I got comfortable on the couches. He asks about my drawing ability, and I said I was pretty good. Then he made the request to draw him, and I obliged. He sat and posed like Captain America would, and I laughed as I sketched him onto the page. The transformation was astonishing. Across from me sat Steve, but on the paper was Captain America, suit and shield and persona. I'd seen plenty of pictures, enough so that I could draw the suit and accouterment without error, and Steve was already here. Once I finished, I turned the page around mysteriously and showed him.

"Wow. That's amazing Luna! Where did you learn to draw like that?" he says, wonder struck.

"If you spend eleven years in a glass cage with nothing but pencils, you teach yourself a couple of handy tricks."

"You don't even need to work at the shop! You could just sell that on the corner. I mean it's gorgeous." He refers to himself.

I laugh as I place the page on the coffee table in front of me. After the commotion, I sketch a flower, one that would've been red and black for Natasha and Clint, with a touch of blue for Steve, but since he had no colors, it was silver and white.

**STEVE'S POV:**

Luna sat on the couch for another hour, doodling flower after flower until the paper was used up. I had gone downstairs around thirty minutes due to boredom. As cool as it was, watching flowers appear on paper got boring after a half hour. I was beating on a large red bag when Luna trotted down the stairs. She had a spring in her step, bouncing across the room to sit by me. We said nothing as I continued to beat the bag. Her eyes were curious, watching my every move. When the bag unclipped and flew across the room, Luna jumped.

"How do you do THAT?" she exclaims.

I shrug and jog to grab the bag. When I turn around, she's lying on the floor. The thought that she's hurt doesn't come to mind, mostly because she's laughing. I stand over her and ask what's so funny. She laughs harder. I sit down between her legs and hold her feet.

"Tell me!" I growl.

My response is more laughter and as much as I tried to be mad, there was a glow about the scene that made anything except happy impossible. She gradually settles down until she wears a large grin but stands silent.

"Can you tell me now?" I ask impatiently.

"Well, nope." She giggles. "I can't explain it. It's just as you were running, laughing gas exploded or something, because honestly nothing is funny."

I roll my eyes.

"You're an idiot. It's a good thing you're cute." I say sarcastically.

She blushes. I realize that she does that quite a bit, and frankly it's quite charming. Luna sits and stares me straight in the face and I receive it as a challenge. We stare and stare until Luna blinks, and throws herself down in defeat. In an instant I'm above her. Her eyes are confused and I was too. I don't know what had come over me and I rolled to the ground beside her.

"I have no clue what just happened." She laughs.

I nod in agreement.

"So your birthday is in two days?" I ask.

"I guess so." She says indifferently.

"Well then we should do something while you're still a legal child." I offer.

The thought of her not even being considered an adult yet chills me. I would've guessed she was in her early twenties not late teens.

"Yeah, let's go see a movie. And do stupid kid things." She squeals.

"What movie?"

"Whatever sounds cool."

You sound cool, I think. Whatever she wanted I would do, because I hadn't felt close to someone since Peggy, and now I have a best friend and possible love interest, but that was still undecided. We get up and race up the stairs. She fusses with her hair a bit and brushes on some makeup.

"You don't need it." I promise.

She smiles and shakes her head as if I don't know what I'm talking about.

"You don't." I say again.

She tries to finish putting it on, but I wrap my arms around her and pull it right out of her hands. She looks at me in the mirror. My head rests on her shoulder and her small body wiggles in my arms. And then Luna does the coolest thing. She jumps straight up as I move my head back. My arms stay in place and she jumps right out.

"That was awesome!" I laugh.

She makes a clicking noise and smiles proudly.

"Shall we go?" she grins.

I nod and pull her out the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

Steve drags me down the street as I stutter out questions.

"Where are we going? Why? Speak up!" I bark at him.

He mumbles something under his breath and slows down to my pace.

"Jeez Steve! You're a friggin cheetah!"

He laughs despite how retarded I sounded.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a secret."

I roll my eyes and push him. He grabs my hand as if to stop him from falling, which results in both of us toppling on top of each other.

"How graceful!" I giggle, getting to my feet.

He smiles and we keep walking until he tells me to take a turn. Soon we arrive at a small cinema. It looked like it was pulled from the past, but it was showing modern movies of course. Steve pays for tickets to see a random children's movie. We scurried in through the halls and sat in the dead center of the room. Little girls and boys raced around the rows of chairs, bodies soaring over the seats in order to escape. One little girl was sitting right next to me, calm and not playing with any other girls. As a matter of fact, she looked lonely.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Taylor." She whispers.

"That's a very pretty name. I'm Luna."

"Hi Luna."

"Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

"I don't know them."

"You can meet them now." I suggest.

She shakes her head quickly. I smile and say okay, and we talk about the movie and make fun of the commercials that flash before us. Soon all the kids take their seats and the movie starts. Taylor holds my hand through the first half as if she's scared, but she's beaming the whole time. I glance at Steve and then gesture towards Taylor. He fakes a "how cute!" face and I slap his arm. Mockingly, he grabs my hand and smiles really big at the screen. I roll my eyes and giggle quietly. My arms extended to either side of me and feet propped up on the chair in front of me, I was comfortable and happy to be alive. It would be impossible to fight the smile on my face, and I didn't try to. I whisper into Steve's ear.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know that, right?"

I know I blush quite a bit, but the rosy red in his face was way worse than anything I'd ever mustered up. He didn't look back at me, just at the screen, but I kept my eyes on him. It was one of those music video moments; all the fun and adorable things the two characters had done kind of flash onto the screen. I think of when we first met and we watched TV on the couch and waking up next to him, and my white dress, and him saving me from the party. Wrestling and tickling downstairs, drawing and laughing upstairs, this movie thing. My life was absolutely miserable back at S.H.I.E.L.D. The same routine every day, the same people, same everything, and then I met Steve. Life had just gotten happier and sillier and amazing all at once and I felt like it was the presence of a real friend who REALLY cared.

His breath on my ear snapped me out of the music video playing in my head. He replied in a hushed tone.

"I didn't know that. Did you know that I might be in love with you?"

My heart about skipped a beat. I slunk down into my seat and blushed harder than he had just moments before. And when I turned back to him to say something, he kissed me on the lips. We must have missed the end of the movie, because the kids got up and were pointing and laughing at us. I pulled away, embarrassed and overwhelmed. Taylor got up and started yelling at the other kids to not tease me, and I thanked her for her help and Steve and I left. Her squeaky goodbye made me smile.

**STEVE'S POV:**

Luna's hand is folded into mine as we skip through the halls in order to receive weird looks. We decided that we'd have a contest. The person with the weirdest looks by the end of the day wins. Once we push through the glass doors, I turn to go towards the shops, but Luna stops and dashes down the road in the opposite direction. I turned to follow her, wondering why she'd run like that, and then I shot a glance behind me. A car that was very noticeable as S.H.I.E.L.D. is slowly rumbling along. I guess they hadn't seen Luna run off, so I don't dare compromise the escape by chasing after. I walk quickly to the end of the road and turn off into a back alley. Now I was out of view, so I bolted down the alley, dodging trash cans, miscellaneous junk and a couple of cats. I rip open the back door of my house and see Luna backed up to the wall, hyperventilating.

"They didn't see you. Go downstairs." I command, but she comes to me instead.

Her head rests against my chest and I can feel her terrified heartbeat. I lead her gently downstairs and hide her behind some supplies. I tell her to stay put and be quiet and she promises she will. The unfortunate timing of this situation is all I can think about as I march up the stairs and sit on the couch. A knock rings through the house and I get up and answer the door. Standing in front of me was Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff and Clint whatever his last name is.

"Can I help you?" I ask.

"Where's Luna?" Natasha asks.

"Who?"

"Don't play this game, Steve. Just turn her in and we'll be out your hair."

"I don't have her."

"Don't lie." Fury practically yells.

"Do you have a warrant?" I ask.

"As a matter of fact, yes." He says shoving me out of the way.

My heart races.

"Knock yourself out." I say, nonchalantly slipping downstairs.

Natasha follows me down and I roll my eyes.

"Can I do something for you, Agent Romanoff?"

"Natasha!" Luna squeals, jumping from her hiding spot.

I slap my hand over my face.

"Luna!? Come on!" I growl.

"Oops. Sorry." She says hugging the tall woman.

"You need to get out of here." Natasha says.

I'm confused now. She wants Luna to be captured again right? Apparently not, because she helps me sneak Luna out. We stand side by side, Luna back to back with me. We walk as normally as possible, and luckily the other two agents were in my room, so we slipped her out the door easily. I told her to go back to the movie theater as fast as she could. She nodded and as she left, she kissed me quickly.

My face held a smile as I leaned against the wall, excited and anxious to see her again. The agents soon finished up, apologized for intruding, and Clint and Natasha suggested a hang out sometime. I nodded and they left. As soon as I could no longer see the car, I walked to the cinema through the back alley. Luna was waiting beside the small theater. My heart started to thud as she got up and approached me. For good reason too, because as we embrace, a dart pierces her shoulder. My scream is enough to alert anyone who didn't know of the spectacle. She collapsed and fell to the ground as I stood back horrified.

"Luna!" two voices screech in unison.

Natasha and Clint drop to their knees beside her seemingly lifeless body.

**NATASHA'S POV:**

Clint and I check Luna's vitals and determine that she's alive. Steve stands motionless and shocked behind us. Clint lifted Luna up and laid her in the back seat of the car. I sat beside her, and Clint grabbed shotgun. Then Steve started to scream. He refused to let us take Luna. He sat on the floor of the car and held Luna's hand until we reached S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve carried Luna this time, and we set her in a medical room where there was medical stuff. I'm not an expert in medics, so I left, bringing Clint and Steve with me to leave room for the doctors.

"Was that Luna's prison?" Steve asks when we walk past the floral painted cell.

"Yes. That's unfortunately where she'll return too." I say.

"Why? Because you guys made her into some mutant? In the time we've known each other, she's hulked out once, and knocked the wind out of me once, and it was by her choice. She's not uncontrollable, and she's not a villain, so why force her to live her life surrounded by glass?" Steve argues.

"It's not her choice." Nick Fury comes up behind us.

"Then do something about it!" Steve yells.

Fury simply stalks away. But Steve wasn't done with Fury. He chased after the man until he was face to face with him.

**STEVE'S POV:**

"Why are you keeping her here?" I ask calmly.

"She's made to be a superhuman hero. There's a chance of alien invasion approaching and startling everyone, and we need her now more than ever."

"So you're thrusting her into battle with no choice!? She doesn't want this life! You can't choose for her, Nick. She's not your property."

"He's right." Natasha adds.

"Fine. You choose. Assemble the Avengers and continue the hell that you've already been through, or give up Luna. Choose wisely." Fury barks.

Just as I was about to answer, Luna walks out of the room, dizzy and loopy, stumbling about.

"Assemble the Avengers."

Luna looks right at me and gives me the "what did you just do?" look. I smile at her and she walks over.

"What did I miss?" she smiles.

"The Avengers are assembling. On the bright side, you're going free. Pack up!" Natasha smiles.

"Doesn't that mean you have to go back to war?" she asks me.

"Yeah." I frown.

"Than no. I'll do whatever you need me too. Don't send him out."

"Okay. Who are we choosing!?" Fury asks slightly confused.

"Me!" Me and Luna say at the same time.

"Fine. I'll take both."

Instantly, he was contacting all the Avengers, minus Thor, because it's not like you can whip out a cell phone and reach Asguard. Luna and I look shocked and upset. I grab her hand and tug her to me. She looks up at me and asks me to save her. I'm serious. She looked up at me and said those exact words. "Save me." The words echoed through my head and sent a sensation of strength from my head to me toes.

"I promise." I say.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep."

"I'll keep it."

"Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent."

"I trust you."

"I love you."

"I loved you the day I met you."

"Me too."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

Steve and I had finally made our way home after long hours of medical exams and paperwork and all sorts of S.H.I.E.L.D. crap. We'd be back tomorrow, when the Avengers and I start to train and organize. For now, Steve and I were sat on the couch, watching whatever show came up on the TV. We surfed channels, then the internet, and when we came up empty, we talked. I asked him about his suit, and he promised me he looked great in it. I grabbed a sheet of paper off the coffee table and sketch him in his suit again. This time though, I added me to the drawing. I looked like a female version of superman, but that's okay because I can't draw everything. I scratched 'we rule the world' across the top. It drew a smile across Steve's lips.

"That's cool." He smiles.

"We need to talk." I say. His face sinks.

"What about?"

"Us. This. You know."

"Um, I met you, I had a friend in you, I fell I love with you, I kissed you. Ta da?" he guesses.

"Seriously. We met like three days ago. How can this work if we barely know each other?"

"Why doubt it? Go with the flow and if we break, okay. But can you imagine the good times we could make?" And with that he kisses me. I'm tempted to pull away, but he's right.

"You're right."

"So does that mean you're my girlfriend?" He asks.

I nod with a smile. I set the picture in his lap and then walk into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I scan for something edible. I settle on yogurt and trot back to the couch. As I eat, Steve talks about the fight we might be forced into. The thought of killing scares me, but it's all I can do at this point. I think about turning down the command, but that's not how it works. Images of gore and death fill my mind and I jolt back and shake my head in an attempt to clear my mind. Steve notices and grabs my hand.

"Hey, everything is going to be fine."

"No!" I say shaking my head and allowing a tear to fall to the floor.

He keeps reassuring me with 'hey' and 'no really', but nothing works and eventually I'm a wreck, sobbing on the floor, Steve trying to stop me. I tuck my face into my knees which are pulled up to my chest. By the time Steve speaks again, the knees of my jeans are soaked.

"I promise. I've done this once or twice, it'll turn out fine. Plus, after we can go get ice cream."

I fight the urge to slap him. Slowly I lift my head and look up at him. He's grinning at me and clutching my hand. As I stand, my untied shoelaces trip me and I fall into Steve. He catches me as I laugh, and I laugh until I cry again.

**STEVE'S POV:**

Luna had the unfortunate gift of a nightmare, and I ended up sitting on the bed holding her as she explained the dream. I could practically see the blood stained horror that currently reduced Luna to a screeching child. She nuzzled her head into my arm and I tried to talk to her but her scream/sobs made it impossible. I looked at the clock: 2:13 AM. I offer to stay with her and she nods. I slide under the covers and grab her hand. Her breath tickles the hair the barely brushed the back of my neck. The thought of having Luna with me made sleeping bearable, so I dozed off rather quickly. Instead of the typical graphic flashback nightmares that usually inhabit my sleep, I have the pleasure of dreaming of the drawing Luna had sketched earlier coming to life. Super heroes were a weird way to describe it, but that's what we were. I woke up to Luna shaking me at approximately 7:00 in the morning.

"What!?" I hiss, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"Someone's at the door." She whispers.

My heart speeds up. She scuttles back into bed and I leave to answer the door. When I see the rest of the Avengers standing in my doorway, I heave a sigh of relief.

"So can we come in Capsicle?" Tony Stark asks.

I nod and allow the group to come inside. Natasha immediately sits down on the couch, followed by Clint. Tony stands awkwardly beside me and Bruce is carrying a box of files into the kitchen. Luna peeks her head out of the bed room. I motion for her to join us. Tony cracks a rude joke about Luna and I still being in pajamas, but no one laughs. Luna sits next to Natasha and Clint, and as if to avoid embarrassment, snatches her drawings off of the coffee table and stuffed them into the couch cushions.

"You must be Luna. I'm Bruce." I hear. Introductions between Luna and Tony occur next, and I can't help watch with small agitation at the sight of Tony eyeing Luna.

We discuss training and our villain and all sorts of tactics until five pm, when Bruce leaves. Natasha and Clint break open a box of beers and Tony gladly obliges to the opportunity to drink. Luna is not of age yet, but she clearly didn't care. Her beer slowly diminished until she had emptied it. She didn't get another, which made me slightly proud. I drank a lot, mostly because I hadn't had a good beer in ages. Tony eventually started to run around my house rambling. He wasn't easy when he was drunk. Clint wasn't as bad as Tony, but Natasha was worse. All the guests in my house were going insane, and Luna sat on the couch observing.

"Tony, do not eat that pencil!" I remember yelling. That's all I can remember of that night.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

**STEVE'S POV:**

I wake up downstairs lying on top of several punching bags. Luna is asleep in the corner, her foot twitching as she dreamt. I pulled myself up, ignoring the searing pain in my legs. Luna woke when I walked past her, and we walked upstairs together. Luna gasped when she saw the calendar. Today's date was December 20th. Five days until Christmas. I smiled at Luna and she gasped again. I turned to see what she was looking at. Tinsel was draped neatly over the walls, small plastic decorations dotted countertops and tables, and a large green tree decorated in red white and blue stood in the corner.

"Wow!" Luna gasps.

She runs over and sits by the tree. Two boxes sat beside each other, wrapped in snowman paper and tied with blue ribbon. TO LUNA was written on one and TO STEVE on the other. Though they were small, they made me really happy. Obviously they made Luna happy as well. Natasha and Clint were passed out on the couch, Tony was sprawled on the table and Bruce was asleep in my chair, but I said thank you anyways. They were not only my partners, they were my friends, and I was very grateful.

**LUNA'S POV:**

The new decorations had me excited for Christmas, and I found myself fretting about what to get Steve. When I decided on my gift, I realized I would need some stuff. I wrote a note to Tasha and slipped it into her pant pocket. Eventually the group woke up and one by one left.

"Merry Christmas!" I giggle to Steve.

He smiles and hugs me. I was really quite happy I had found him. It was a slight chance that I'd choose his house that night. The day I escaped felt like years ago, but in fact it was barely a week ago. So much has changed, most of it for the better. My toes squished into the carpet as Steve and I talked. During our conversation, I picked up on a few things that Steve liked. America obviously was important to him. His time was a big topic as well, he seemed to miss it. He talked very little about Peggy, but enough that I knew who she was. He commented on me a lot too, making rubbish compliments about my hair and my eyes and calling me adorable.

I pulled my 'we rule the world' drawing out from the couch cushions as Steve told me about his crash. The story gave me chills, no pun intended. I wonder how things would be different for people if he hadn't survived. He would've never been in the Avengers, and so the outcome of that could've been completely different. I might've ended up back in S.H.I.E.L.D. and spent my life in that cage and been forced to fight and maybe I would've been killed in combat. The thought makes me shiver, mostly because that's still a possibility.

Before I can say 'Christmas', it's 9:00 at night and Steve goes to bed. I change into my pajamas and dive right into my bed. As I drift off, I imagine Steve's Christmas present. The painting would be by yours truly, and would feature the American flag, an eagle, Steve's shield, things from Steve's time, and a revised version of 'we rule the world'. I mix the pictures in my head until I configure the perfect layout. If I remember, tomorrow I will sketch it out. Natasha has hopefully found my note by now, and will drop the canvas and pencils and paints by tomorrow.

***TWO DAYS LATER (December 22)***

**LUNA'S POV:**

I've spent two days in my room, coming out only for water and dinner. Steve keeps knocking on the door but I won't let him in. He acts concerned, and I explain that I'm working. The canvas is full, and I'm proud of the work. I'm just now putting the details into place. The color of people's eyes, the lines in flowers, the shine of Steve's shield. By seven PM, I finish and come out of my room. Steve's eyes light up and he runs over to me. He kisses me and goes on about how he was so worried that I was ignoring him. I told him that I was working, and he rolled his eyes. I asked about wrapping paper and he said he had none. Great. I guess I'll just keep it in my room until the 25th.

***TWO DAYS LATER* (December 24)***

**STEVE'S POV:**

Luna and I were visited by carolers today. It was funny to watch Luna react. She'd never seen carolers before so the whole situation was priceless. We baked some cookies and decorated them with red and green frosting and sprinkles, then we ate candy canes and egg nog until 11 PM. Luna passed out on the couch at 12, and I slept on the floor. When we woke up the next morning, Luna was overly excited. We ripped open the gifts from the Avengers. Small boxes containing cell phones emerged from the mess of blue and white snowman paper. Luna was freaking out and immediately started to set it up. Once she finished hers, she helped me with mine.

"Their IPhones. 4s. That's what it says." Luna informs me.

I nod and slide open the device. We figure it out step by step, and soon we can text and call, and take pictures. Luna spends five minutes sitting and taking pictures of me, and I return the favor. We end the time with tons of photos of each other on our phones. She sets hers down and trots into her room, and frankly I'm worried. If she doesn't come out I'll be devastated. Just when I'm about to go get her, she comes out with a canvas in her hands. I can't see the painting; she has that part facing towards her.

"So this is why I was in my room for two days. It's your Christmas present." She says turning it around.

It's a blast from the past and a view of the future rolled into one. In the center is Luna and I, me in my suit and her in one as well. It was like the one she had sketched that said 'we rule the world'. On the sides were American flags, soldiers, dancing couples from my days, and my shield. It was breathtaking, and Luna sat concerned as I examined it.

"It's amazing." I say.

"Merry Christmas!" she squeals.

We spend the rest of Christmas eating cookies and watching Christmas specials on the TV. The Avengers invited themselves over again and we all sat and drank and had cookies and sang together. Overall, I can't remember a better Christmas.

**LUNA'S POV:**

I can gladly say that my first Christmas outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. was amazing. I couldn't have pictured it any better.

**NATASHA'S POV:**

Everyone seemed so happy today. Luna and Steve are really happy and it shows. They're good for each other.

**CLINT'S POV:**

Natasha is looking SMOKIN'!

**TONY'S POV:**

Okay Steve and Luna need to cut out the PDA because it's annoying. Also someone must've put something in the cookies because I see a unicorn.

**BRUCE'S POV:**

Tony is drunker than drunk. I should go, but I'm having fun. Just *breath* don't stress out.

**STEVE'S POV:**

Gosh this is fun.

_**AUTHOR'S POV:**_

_**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

**LUNA'S POV:**

It's been six months since we last heard from S.H.I.E.L.D. Whatever we were supposed to do was obviously taken care of. The Avengers came over all the time and I can't remember one night they were here that alcohol was not involved. I tried to stay clear of it though, considering I wasn't legally allowed to drink yet. By now, I had my own apartment, which was a five minute walk away from Steve's house. At the current moment, I was three minutes into that walk. Steve had called to tell me that the Avengers were over and honestly, I'd never pass on a night with them. Two minutes later Steve opened the door to let me in. He grabbed my hair.

"What the heck?" he hissed.

I hadn't seen Steve in two weeks, and I'd forgot he hadn't seen my new hair style. My regular hair color was hidden by black hair dye, and the tips of my hair were dyed what you would call 'electric blue'.

"Uh, I dyed my hair?" I offered.

He seemed genuinely offended. I tried to come inside but he moved into my way.

"Why?" he growled.

"Because I think it's pretty. Do you have a problem with it?" I asked, but I knew he did.

"Uh… no. Its fine, come in." he fibbed.

The second everyone saw me their jaws practically fell off. It's like they'd never seen hair dye before.

"Hey?" I suggest.

"What did you do with your hair?" Natasha questions.

"I dyed it. Any other questions?" I reply, rather agitated.

"Uh, yeah. Where's your tattoo and piercings?" Tony laughs.

"TONY!" a lady's voice scolds. I look over to him to see he's seated beside the one and only Pepper that I'd heard so much about.

"Oh hi! I'm Luna. You must be Pepper." I say walking over to shake her hand.

"Hi. Sorry about Tony, he's a, well fill in the blank." She said shaking my hand.

I laughed. Everyone was still staring at me.

"Do you guys not like it or what? It's temporary okay?" I ask, clearly offended by their staring.

They all sigh at once. I roll my eyes and sit down next to Steve.

"I've missed you." I whisper into his ear.

As mad as he might be about my hair, he still smiled and kissed my cheek. After we all moved past the topic of my hair, we played a board game, which got rather competitive. The game ended when Tony flipped the board over and yelled. Everyone started laughing at his anger, which made him even angrier. Hours later, we all somehow ended up screaming at Tony and Steve, who were fighting each other. The downstairs room was of course built for this, but it was especially interesting.

While we half of us cheered on Tony, the other half cheered for Steve. And if you could hear over our cheering, you could hear the two fighters spitting out profanities at each other. It dawned on me that this wasn't just for show, but I brushed it off. When Tony fell down, screaming in agony, Pepper was the first one to him. Steve was out of breath, and blood was dripping from his nose and mouth. I could already see bruises forming on both of them, but Tony was the center of attention, considering he was NOT a super soldier like Steve.

"Oh my gosh." Pepper whispered.

"His arm is NOT supposed to bend that way."

The second after that was said all of us turned to Steve. He blushed furiously and started shaking in my arms. I looked up at him.

"Hey, it's okay. Steve, you didn't mean to." I kept whispering to him, but his shaking got quicker and more violent.

"Steve you're turning red. Settle down." I told him.

I walked him upstairs and sat him down on the couch. I dabbed a wet towel at his face.

"I'll be right back. Don't explode." I say.

Downstairs, Tony is standing up, laughing, but it was obvious the amount of pain he was in. Pepper and Natasha led him upstairs and outside and he got into the passenger seat of Pepper's car. They were gone before I could apologize. I would've stayed outside, but the sound of yelling drew me back inside.

"WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU?!" Clint was yelling.

Steve was yelling back, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Bruce was shouting and so was Clint and Steve and the whole house was full with the sounds. I screamed at the top of my lungs and kept at it till I couldn't breathe. That shut them up.

"What's your problem Clint!? It was an accident!" I snapped.

Soon we were all yelling again. When Natasha showed up at the door, her eyes widened and she started laughing.

"Not funny Tasha!" I screamed.

"Okay shut up you guys!" she yelled.

And we did.

"Tony is fine. His arm is broken but that happens. He was laughing the whole way to the hospital and laughed until he was out of breath at the hospital."

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I sat down next to Steve. He was still shaking furiously.

"You guys really should go." I warned.

"Fine. See you later." Clint said.

Even after fighting, we weren't mad at each other.

"Steve, what's wrong?"

He stuttered through the word it for three minutes until it came out right.

"It was him."

"Who?" I ask.

"R-r-red sk-sk-skull."

Crap.


End file.
